Cellist Stephen Isserlis Seeks Joy and Beauty in Music
British cellist Steven Isserlis seeks joy and beauty in everything he plays.
The personable, witty and thoroughly accomplished artist enjoys an eclectic repertoire that reflects his inquiring mind.
Whether playing Bach, Britten, Dvorak or Debussy, his introspective approach enhances the composer's goals.
One of his favorite works, William Walton's Cello Concerto, has all the elements that satisfy his quest.
The concerto expresses the beauty, dreamy melancholy and often surprising discoveries one might encounter in Italy where the composer and his wife, to whom it is dedicated, spent their later years.
A fan of jazz and blues, Walton incorporated both in this work.
When Isserlis is not performing as soloist with major orchestras worldwide on one of his three priceless instruments, he is never happier than when planning or performing in chamber music festivals.
Each year, he and close colleagues gather at a special place in Cornwall to play new and neglected works and their favorite standards.
A favorite of such contemporary composers as John Tavener, Thomas Ades and Douglas Weiland, he eagerly premieres their works written for him whenever the opportunity arises.
His unique, highly praised sound is a product of thoughtful phrasing and - often - his use of gut strings.
During his childhood, gut strings were not so unusual.
Today, the choice is simply a case of which works better in a particular piece, gut or steel.
Because of his temptation to play too softly, gut can be a better choice.
Isserlis was born in London to a musical family that played together, so it was inevitable that serious studies lay ahead.
At the same time, the fervent Beatles fan began sporting the hairstyle they inspired, one that continues to set him apart from his contemporaries.
After spending four years learning to play holistically in the home of Scottish tutor Jane Cowan, he traveled at age 18 to the United States to study in Los Angeles with the great cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.
His plans were swiftly derailed by the cellist's sudden, unexpected death.
Stranded, Isserlis consulted a friend, Steven Doane (now professor of violincello at Eastman School of Music in Rochester), who recommended his own alma mater, Oberlin College.
It proved to be the perfect choice.
The illustrious career he has pursued since those early years led to a CBE in 1998 and the Schumann Prize in 2000 from the city of Zwickau.
His recording of the Bach Cello Suites won a Gramophone award in 2007 and he is preparing to record the Dvorak Concerto in Italy and the Beethoven Sonata in London.
Isserlis is not only an outstanding artist, but also a clever author of books for children about famous composers ("Why Beethoven Threw the Stew" and "Why Handel Waggled His Wig") and three stories set to music.
He was inspired to write them when his son was a little boy because he couldn't find any books like them to interest children in music.
Now that his son is grown and studying film making at Rochester Institute of Technology, he may not write any more stories about composers.
For the present, his most important project is compiling a photo book for his father's 94th birthday, the story of a fruitful life spanning nearly a century.
The personable, witty and thoroughly accomplished artist enjoys an eclectic repertoire that reflects his inquiring mind.
Whether playing Bach, Britten, Dvorak or Debussy, his introspective approach enhances the composer's goals.
One of his favorite works, William Walton's Cello Concerto, has all the elements that satisfy his quest.
The concerto expresses the beauty, dreamy melancholy and often surprising discoveries one might encounter in Italy where the composer and his wife, to whom it is dedicated, spent their later years.
A fan of jazz and blues, Walton incorporated both in this work.
When Isserlis is not performing as soloist with major orchestras worldwide on one of his three priceless instruments, he is never happier than when planning or performing in chamber music festivals.
Each year, he and close colleagues gather at a special place in Cornwall to play new and neglected works and their favorite standards.
A favorite of such contemporary composers as John Tavener, Thomas Ades and Douglas Weiland, he eagerly premieres their works written for him whenever the opportunity arises.
His unique, highly praised sound is a product of thoughtful phrasing and - often - his use of gut strings.
During his childhood, gut strings were not so unusual.
Today, the choice is simply a case of which works better in a particular piece, gut or steel.
Because of his temptation to play too softly, gut can be a better choice.
Isserlis was born in London to a musical family that played together, so it was inevitable that serious studies lay ahead.
At the same time, the fervent Beatles fan began sporting the hairstyle they inspired, one that continues to set him apart from his contemporaries.
After spending four years learning to play holistically in the home of Scottish tutor Jane Cowan, he traveled at age 18 to the United States to study in Los Angeles with the great cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.
His plans were swiftly derailed by the cellist's sudden, unexpected death.
Stranded, Isserlis consulted a friend, Steven Doane (now professor of violincello at Eastman School of Music in Rochester), who recommended his own alma mater, Oberlin College.
It proved to be the perfect choice.
The illustrious career he has pursued since those early years led to a CBE in 1998 and the Schumann Prize in 2000 from the city of Zwickau.
His recording of the Bach Cello Suites won a Gramophone award in 2007 and he is preparing to record the Dvorak Concerto in Italy and the Beethoven Sonata in London.
Isserlis is not only an outstanding artist, but also a clever author of books for children about famous composers ("Why Beethoven Threw the Stew" and "Why Handel Waggled His Wig") and three stories set to music.
He was inspired to write them when his son was a little boy because he couldn't find any books like them to interest children in music.
Now that his son is grown and studying film making at Rochester Institute of Technology, he may not write any more stories about composers.
For the present, his most important project is compiling a photo book for his father's 94th birthday, the story of a fruitful life spanning nearly a century.
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